Fairy Tail Story: An unexpected encounter
by Fire and Lightning
Summary: On their way back to the guild from a job, Natsu and Lucy run into an interesting stranger. Will he be friend or foe? Read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, it's been a while since I last updated, I know, but things have been going on, and I apologize for those of you who were enjoying my Naruto story. Things just ended up getting out of hand for me. I planned on at least getting them to the Land of the Unknown, but school got hard, I started on a new book, that is actually published now, and the list goes on with things you probably don't have any interest in reading about, so we're going to skip over what has been happening in my life and move on to the story.

This is a story I've had in my head for a few days now, and I'm currently dealing with writer's block on my other book, which is the continuation of the other book I talked about in the last paragraph. So, if you like my style of writing, you think I'm a good story teller, please, by all means look up my book, and read the first chapter or two. Your support would be very much appreciated and I just might be able to throw in a free cookie for you and if you live in the Oklahoma area, I might even autograph your book, depending on how close you live.

Uh, just a quick note. For those of you who have read my Naruto story, you will probably be thinking I can't write for shit, and I'm going to waste my time reading this story. Well, yes that story was a mix up, but I have grown older and wiser since I wrote that. Let's see how much I've learned in the past year or two, hmm?

Now then, on with the story.

**Fairy Tail**

**An Unexpected Encounter**

**Chapter 1**

"Natsu, please stay with me! We have to make it back to the guild!" Lucy begged as she carried Natsu across a forest path with one of his arms around her neck.

Natsu had been hurt very badly on their last mission, and was hardly able to keep consciousness. It was hard for Lucy to carry his weight so far, but they were still in hostile territory. The job they went on happened to be a trap set up by a 'Dark Guild' and Natsu gave his all to protect Lucy who was ill prepared for the attack.

They still had another three days back to the guild, but the pace they were moving would make it feel more like six. They were poorly supplied with just a few pieces of bread left to eat. They were completely out of contact with the guild and Lucy had no experience surviving in the wilderness or hunting for food.

When she found a good spot away from the trail, Lucy made as good a shelter she could from the weather. It was starting to rain, and the wind was starting to pick up. Thunder erupted in the distance which told her a big storm was coming in. "_At least it'll wash away our trail." _Lucy thought to herself.

Once she finished the shelter, she gently placed Natsu on the ground and stared at his face for a moment. She could feel his heart beating faintly with her hand on his chest. Tears swelled in her eyes, "I was useless! Completely useless!" She cried, resting her head on his chest.

"L…u…c…y", Natsu said softly in pain.

Lucy gently rubbed his cheek, letting him know she was still with him. "I'm not going to leave you. I'm going to protect you, Natsu. It's time for me to show you I'm worthy of being your friend. Even if it costs me my life."

She looked up to see a berry bush just outside the shelter. She emptied her back pack and ran out to the berries and started filling her bag. She knew they weren't poisonous because they were the same kind she and Erza ate when they went on a mission together. (Or job I should say)

Lucy wanted to punch herself for not paying attention to Erza's survival skills, but she knew punishing herself wouldn't do any good. She didn't pay attention, and now she was paying the price for it.

Once she got back to the shelter, Lucy crushed some of the berries into juice in a small wooden bowl she just so happened to have and slipped it drop by drop down Natus's throat. "_At least you have something in your stomach." _She thought.

She finished the rest of the berries and readied the shelter for the storm. However, she could hear faint voices in the distance. Although they were a long ways away, she knew the voices all too well. "_Oh, no!" _She panicked. She looked down to see she had left foot prints in the dirt along the path. She was leading them straight to her and Natsu. She quickly ran to hide Natsu behind a large tree and prepared herself for battle in the open.

"Well, well, it looks like we've finally tracked you down, girly!' One of the opposing guild's men said, a taste of evil laughter behind his breath.

"Hey, weren't there two of 'em, boss" The dumb looking one asked. "Where's that immature friend of yours?"

"We parted ways a long ways back!" Lucy said, hoping one of the men would go back and search for footprints.

"Oh, that's too bad. He left his girlfriend all alone out here in the woods…miles away from civilization." The first man said, scratching his bearded chin. "You know, my companion and I haven't seen a woman in over five months. And you, my dear, are very beautiful. It would be a shame to kill you right away. What say we have some fun together?"

Lucy's skin shivered in fear. "You'll have to kill me before you touch me!"

"Oh? Well in that case, you won't be squirming around when I rip that shirt off!" The bearded man said as he pulled out his sword. "I'll make it quick, my dear. You won't feel a thing."

Before she had a chance to react, the man slammed his fist into her stomach and forced her to drop her keys. "Oh, No!" She yelled. She quickly ran to recover her magic tools, but the second man beat her to them. "Hey, boss, you think these keys work on anything?"

"Sure, let me see 'em." The first man said, holding his hand out. Once the keys were placed in his hand, he chunked them at the other man's forehead.

"Ow! What was that for, boss?!"

"You asked if they were good for anything, and I answered."

"You're such a jerk!"

"Well anyway." The bearded man shot a bolt of lightning from his hand and shocked Lucy, making her entire body go numb. She collapsed to the ground and saw with blurry vision the man approaching her. She closed her eyes tightly and prepared for the worst. However, the man never grabbed her.

She opened her eyes to see the ground littered with arrows and the two men back to back.

"Is this how men treat their women in this country?" A mysterious voice asked.

Lucy turned her head to see a young man in a hooded robe standing over her with his bow drawn.

"It disgusts me." The man said as he readied an arrow.

"What? The only thing women are good for is giving birth, nothing else!" The bearded man said.

"And you two aren't going to be anything other than throw rugs on my wooden floor." The cloaked man said in a quiet and aggressive voice than sent shivers down the two men's spines. He shot the arrow and made direct contact with the bearded man's chest, dropping him dead on the spot.

The second guild's man stood frozen and waited for the man to shoot him as well.

Lucy turned her head to see the cloaked man had a serious look in his eye. "Beat it!" He demanded.

Without a second thought, the other guild's man started running back the way he came.

Lucy then felt the cloaked man's hand on her back. "Hey, are you all right, ma-am?" He asked.

Lucy smiled gently at the man and whispered 'thank you' and let darkness take over, slipping into a tight sleep.

* * *

And there's the end of Chapter one. If you liked the first chapter, stay tuned. I'll upload another two or three chapters before long.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lucy awoke to the sound of bird calls in the early morning. She guessed it war around seven or so, the sun was fairly low in the sky. "What happened?" She said as she sat up. "I remember fighting those guys, and Natsu…NATSU!" She looked around frantically, but found Natsu was sleeping soundly next to her. She smiled softly and sighed in relief. She then looked around to see she and Natsu were in a different location, and under someone else's shelter. She studied the camp a bit more and noticed the fire was still going, telling her there was someone nearby. She couldn't remember anything about the cloaked man, or the fight he and the other guild's men had.

She crawled out of her 'bed' and walked around the camp to see there was a freshly skinned deer, fruits and berries, and a few buckets of water within the camp. The first sight of the food made her stomach growl, she had forgotten how hungry she was the night before. She licked her lips, grabbed a large chunk of deer meat and prepared to take a big bite out of the meat.

"And just what are you planning to do with that?" A voice asked from behind, making Lucy immediately stop. She turned around quickly and hid the deer meat behind her back, "I-it-I was, uh-when did you-how did you know…I'm sorry!" She fell on her knees and held out the deer meat expecting punishment. "I was just so hungry I…"

The man laughed, "It's all right. That meat was for you anyway. But, um…between you and me…you might want to set that over the fire. Unless of course…you prefer your meat raw…"

Lucy looked down to see her meat was indeed raw. She showed a face of disgust and held it away, barely hanging onto it with her pointer and thumb fingers. "I think I may have just lost my appetite!"

The man shrugged and took the meat from her hands. "A vegetarian, eh? Maybe you'll like this instead?" He asked as he tossed her an apple. "They're quite fresh. I picked them while you and your friend over there were still napping."

"Oh, gee, thanks, Mr. Uh…"

"Oh, my name's Connor. I'm a foreigner in this country, just passing through on my way to Flkraith. May I have your name, miss?"

"Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia. I'm pleased to meet you, Connor." Lucy said, thanking him for the food.

"Likewise. Who's your friend over there?" Connor asked, shifting his attention to Natsu who was snoring like he normally does.

"Oh, that's Natsu. He should be awake before too long." Lucy said. "So uh, do you mind telling me how you found us last night, Connor? I thought Natsu and I were goners for sure."

"Hmm, oh, you two weren't far from my camp, actually." Connor said in response. "I could hear people talking and I curious about who was out in that kind of weather. You two are lucky I was nearby. Those two were freaky looking. What are you two doing out here on your own anyway?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "Hmm, well, Natsu and I signed up to do a job together while the rest of our friends were out on their own missions. It was supposed to be easy, less than fifty-thousand jewel as a reward."

"Jewel?" Connor asked.

"Oh, Jewel is our money system." Lucy replied. "Fifty-thousand Jewel isn't much really. It's really more something you might pay a kid after he finished his weekly job."

"I see… Oh, by the way, do these belong to you, miss? I found them lying on the ground after I brought you and your friend back to my camp." Connor said as he pulled out a chain of yellow keys.

Lucy felt her left thigh and the memory of her losing her keys came back. "Yes, yes they are! Thank you so much for finding them for me! I'd be in trouble without them!"

Connor handed her the keys, "No problem, but…what are they? You don't own that many vehicles do you?"

"Oh, no. These are my magic weapons. I can summon spirits with them." Lucy said.

"Magic? You can use magic?" Connor asked in surprise. "My, my, this country of yours keeps getting more interesting with each passing day!"

"Hmm? You've never heard of magic being used in this country?" Lucy asked.

"No, never. The country I'm from is a long way away from here. There are no magic users there at all." Connor said. "Can you…can you show me?"

Lucy nodded and grabbed one of her keys, "Gate of Horologium, I open thee!"

Suddenly, she was inside a large brown Grandfather clock. "See? This is the kind of magic I use, it's called 'key magic' (I really don't know what it's actually called, and I'm too lazy to look it up) I can summon several different spirits with these keys that I possess… She says."

*Anime sweat drop on the back of Connor's head* "_Talk about lame" _He thought to himself. "Impressive, Lucy. I can't say I was expecting you to be swallowed by a clock, but this world is full of surprises I guess."

"Haha" She says.

Lucy crawled out from the clock and 'dispelled' him. "So now you know what kind of magic I know."

"Hmm, so uh, how far do you guys have to go to…well…regroup with your friends?" Connor asked. "Is it far? I could accompany you if you're heading in the right direction."

"We're going back to our guild in Magnolia. It's about two or three days from here." Lucy said.

"Really? Well it just happens that I'm heading there too." Connor said. "I'm running low on supplies, and Magnolia is the closest city from here. By the way, if you don't mind me asking…what's that tattoo on the back of your hand?"

"Hmm? Oh, this?" Lucy asked as she turned her hand to where she could see the Fairy Tail mark. "This is the mark of my Guild, Fairy Tail. You know, now that I think about it, you should stop by while you're in Magnolia. Our master would like to thank you for rescuing me and Natsu. By the way, that reminds me…where are you from? You're kind of young to be traveling all by yourself aren't you?"

"If seventeen is too young to travel alone, then yes." Connor said. "But I don't have a choice. My clan was attacked by my father while I was away. He killed everyone. My mother was eight months pregnant with her new daughter and was expecting to give an early birth. But it didn't matter. My father killed her like it didn't matter…and now…I'm the last of my bloodline except for him."

"Oh, you're kidding!" Lucy said in a soft voice. "Your entire clan? What are you planning to do?"

"I will have my revenge." Connor answered. "I will kill my father and restore my clan. But he's stronger than I am. He's got his own gang of bandits somewhere in the hills, and I'm no match for that. Not by myself."

Lucy gave him a look of sadness and thought for a moment. "Well…I know you don't possess any magic, but…I think you could try and join our guild. I'm sure our master would help you out."

"Well, I can use all the help I can get." Connor said. "Let's get your friend and make our way to Magnolia."

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH! WE'RE OFF ONCE AGAIN TO MAGNOLIA! HA-HA-HA! SEE YA THERE, LUCY! HAHAHAHA!"

*Anime sweat drops on Connor and Lucy's heads as the watch Natsu run off*

"Umm…Magnolia's that way…" Connor said as he pointed off in the opposite direction.

"Yeeaaah, let's just let him figure it out on his own." Lucy said as she started walking down the path.'

And there's chapter two of the story. Please leave a comment or review and I'll see you all tomorrow!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Hey, Natsu, you never really introduced yourself to Connor. Why don't you take this time to get acquainted while I'm in the store?" Lucy said.

"Yeah, alright, fine."

Lucy smiled softly and ran into the store.

"So, you're the guy that saved us?" Natsu asked. "Where are you from?"

"Skymark." Connor answered. "It's a small country. Less than twenty-million in population. But it's a dangerous one as well."

"Really? How so?" Natsu asked.

"Well…take a look at me for an example." Connor said as he opened his robe.

Natsu was surprised by what he wore. He was completely armed to the teeth with swords, knives, arrows, and a small cross bow. "So I take it you're combat trained?" Natsu asked.

Connor nodded, "You could say that. I trust you overheard the story I was telling Lucy back at the camp?"

"About your family being wiped out? Yeah, I heard." Natsu said. "But you should do what Lucy said and talk with our guild master. He'll surely try and give you some support."

"Well, like I said, I can use all the help I can get." Connor said. Jest then, Lucy exited the store wearing a new purse. "I'm ready to go! How do you guys like my new purse?"

*Connor and Natsu's jaws fall to the ground* "We stopped here for you to go shopping?!" Natsu screamed.

Lucy nodded and patted his cheek, "Just be happy I didn't spend forever like the last time."

"Well, you two seem to get along alright. Are you guys in a relationship? Brother and sister?"

Lucy and Natsu blushed and turned opposite directions away from each other. "N-nope. J-just really good friends. That's all." Lucy said.

Connor shrugged, but he could tell there was definitely something developing between those two.

"Well, uh, shall we make our way to the guild?" Lucy asked, taking the lead.

"Right after you, ma-am." Connor said, stepping aside for Lucy.

Once they reached the guild, Natsu and Lucy were greeted by their friends and were welcomed back with slaps to the back and handshakes. However, everyone stopped once Connor entered the building. "Who are you?" Gageel asked.

"Hey, take it easy Gageel." Lucy said, stepping in-between him and Connor. "This guy saved me and Natsu's lives. Were it not for him, we wouldn't have made it back here."

"Really? Who is he?" Carla asked as she approached Connor. "He doesn't belong to a guild?"

"No. Our last mission was a set up by a Dark Guild, and Natsu used up too much of his power trying to protect me." Lucy said. "He took out a good number of their forces, but the last five were too strong for him. I had to carry him back to the forest, and that's where Connor found us. I was on my last breath before he showed up."

"Really? He possesses no magic power, and he still beat members of a Dark Guild?" Cana (the woman that drinks beer none stop) asked in amazement.

Lucy nodded, "Well, maybe you'd like to hear it from him instead of me. Connor, why don't you go ahead and tell them everything?"

"Well, where do I start?" Connor asked. "I'm from the land of Skymark. I was passing through this country searching for help to take revenge on my father. A few nights ago, I was setting up camp out in the wilderness and I heard people talking, and that's when I found Lucy and Natsu."

"What were you needing help with?" Gageel asked.

"My father wiped out my entire clan while I was away. I swore I'd avenge everyone, but my father has his own army of bandits." Connor said. "Lucy and Natsu requested I come here with them because they thought your master would lend me some support. And that's why I'm here."

"Hmm, well, normally wizard guilds don't accept new members who don't have any possession of magic. But in this case, I think the master may be able to make an exception. Please, follow me." Cana said, leading the way to the back where the guild master was sitting.

"So, you say Lucy and Natsu brought you here because they we would lend you support?" The guild master asked.

Connor bowed on his right knee with his head facing the floor. "Yes, I was hoping you could send some reinforcements with me to Skymark so I could face down my father and serve justice to my clan."

"Hmm, I understand you're going through a great deal of trouble now, but Skymark is a long way from our own land, you understand. But, for saving the lives of our friends, I cannot ignore your request. Let me think about it for a few days and I'll get back to you soon. But for now, feel free to hang around the guild for a while. Anyone that saves the lives of my children is welcome in our hall."

Connor nodded and returned to Natsu. "So I guess I'm going to be staying around for a while. Is there any place I can sleep?"

"You can sleep in Lucy's house." Happy said.

"MY HOUSE IS OFF LIMITS!"

Natsu threw his arm around Connor's neck, "Don't worry about finding a place to stay, we're a guild! We'll find somethin' out!"

Connor looked around an noticed there was a lot of open room in the guild hall. "What if I just slept here over night? It's big enough; it has heat, water, plenty of food. I'm pretty sure if I can sleep out in the wilderness for days on end, I can stay in here."

Natsu thought for a moment. "Well, I guess that'd be okay…"

"Then it's settled. I'll sleep on the second floor of the building until the master makes up his mind about what he's going to do." Connor said. "Um…is there any place where I can put my stuff down? It's heavier than you'd think."

"Oh, sure, just pile 'em on the floor next to the place you'll be sleeping. " Lucy said.

Connor nodded and headed up the stairs to ready his place for the night.

Lucy turned to Natsu and said, "You think the master would let him become a member of our guild if we asked him?"

Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "It'd be nice, but he doesn't have any magical powers. Plus, he's not from our country."

"True. I wonder how long it has been since his clan was wiped out. I've never heard of Skymark before."

"I dunno. But we shouldn't bother him with that stuff. It seems like it bothers him quite a bit."

Lucy nodded and went her separate way to where the other female members were gathering.

Okay, there's the end of chapter three. I'm not really planning on making this story much longer, but there will be NaLu moments coming up, I assure you.

Please leave your comments and reviews so I know what you guys think of the story. If you don't like Connor that's fine, I wasn't expecting him to take this path, but hey, we authors should know the story has a way of making things up on its own.

I'll be thinking about the next chapter for a while, so expect it in say…before Monday. Monday evening at the very latest unless something pops up.

Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As Conner descended the stairs in the early morning, he noticed a few guild members had already woken up.

"Hey, Conner, sleep well?" Mirijane asked in a friendly tone as she looked at him approaching the bar.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, it was good enough. But I wish I had asked for a pillow. Hardwood floors are hard on the neck!" Connor said, rubbing his neck and moving his head around.

Mirijane smiled and laid a menu on the bar in front of Connor.

"What's this?" Connor asked confused holding the menu.

"It's our menu of breakfast foods." Mirijane replied. "Don't worry, there's no charge for helping Lucy and Natsu make it back safely. Eat all you can but make sure you save enough room for our lunches. They're even better."

Connor smiled and opened the menu, "Man you weren't kidding, Mirijane. This stuff looks delicious!"

"It tastes twice as good as it looks, trust me."

Connor studied the menu for a few moments, "You know what…just give me what _you _would recommend. The decisions' too hard to make myself." He finally said.

Mirijane giggled and took the menu back, "One special breakfast coming right up. It shouldn't be long. Feel free to have a look around while you're waiting."

Connor nodded and left his seat and wondered around the guild hall studying the pictures, job board (bulletin or whatever it is) and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. "_What I want to know is how they keep this place going after seeing how well Natsu, Grey and Earza get along so well." _He thought sarcastically to himself while looking at the aftermath of an area a fight took place.

Hours passed and Lucy arrived to the guild. The first thing she saw was Natsu going up against Connor in an arm wrestling contest.

"Come on Natsu! You can do it!" Happy Cheered.

"Man, Connor's surprisingly strong for his age! THAT'S A MAN" Elfman yelled.

"Heh, Natsu can't even beat an ordinary boy with survival skills." Grey muttered.

The next thing he knew, Natsu was in his face, "You say something, Blizzard breath?!"

"You got somethin' to say to me ya' sorry excuse for a toaster?!"

*Anime sweat drop slides down Connor's head as Natsu and Grey start fighting…again* Connor sighed, "Man, you'd think the people here would learn to keep these guys away from each other." He muttered to himself.

Lucy laughed and took a seat across from him, "They're always like this. You'd be surprised how good of a team they make though."

"Those two…on a team? That's funny." Connor said, still watching Natsu and Grey. "What took you so long getting here anyway?"

"This is the time I always get here. I live in a house about four blocks away." Lucy replied.

"Mmm…"

Lucy smiled and turned her head to watch the fight, but Grey slammed into her and flipped her chair over. "You two are really getting out of hand!" Lucy said with spiraling eyes in the wreckage of where they crashed.

Grey growled and stood up, "You're gonna pay for that ya' jerk!" He yelled as he charged at Natsu with a fist ready, Natsu doing the same. However, unexpectedly, Connor got in the middle of them, grabbed both their wrists and used all his strength to pull them harder to each other, making them slam head first into each other.

Lumps grew on the top of the boys' heads as they rolled around on the ground. "Hmm, that'll teach you." Connor smirked, clapping his hands.

"Whoa…did you see that?"

"I thought Connor didn't possess any magic…"

"What the hell just happened? He's almost like Earza but he's a guy!"

"The hell was that for?!" Natsu yelled.

"Don't play dumb with me. You two had it coming."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to go that far." Grey replied, still rubbing his head.

"_Hmm, nice to know there's someone other than Earza who can keep these two under control._" Lucy thought to herself. She watched as Connor returned to his seat and took a sip of his tea. "Um…Connor?"

"I'll explain later. I'm not in the mood right now. Plus, it's a long story."

Lucy nodded and looked to her left to see the master in serious thought. From the expression on his face, she knew he was figuring something out.

"Well, I'm going to go on a walk around the town." Connor said as he stood up and headed for the doors. "There are a few things I forgot to pick up the other day. Be back in a bit."

Once Connor left, Lucy turned to Natsu and Grey, "What was that all about? He seems…unhappy at best."

Natsu shrugged, "Beats me. But for a guy who can't control magic that really friggen hurt!"

"Yeah, does he have super human strength or something?" Elfman asked.

"No, Connor is from the land of Skymark. It's a land of vast population with an extremely strong military." The master said, making his way into the group. "Their military outmatches and out numbers our council by fifteen-million at least, but there are certain…factions that one may join if skilled enough."

"What, like…guilds?" Cana asked.

The master nodded, "Guilds that separate those with different skills. Though the people of this land possess very limited magic, they are excellent fighters and their military has the best trained and highest skilled assassins in the world. If you pay close enough attention to his behavior, you can tell Connor has some kind of connection with an assassin group."

"Hmm, come to think of it, that does make sense." Lucy said. She thought back to the men he killed a few days ago and said, "Connor has a perfect aim with a bow, and he's extremely agile and fast. He has perfect balance that would take years to master. Not to mention, who in the world carries two short swords, a claymore and a trillion daggers on them? Not to mention his attire…a black worn out hooded robe with skin tight clothing underneath. It makes perfect sense."

"So…how deadly are these assassins anyways, gramps?" Natsu asked.

The master chuckled for a moment and grew serious, "They've assassinated the rulers of sixteen different countries! They're called…the Seventeen."

And there's chapter four. Finally I've gotten a chance to update this story. School's just been hectic for me lately 'cause I'm getting ready to graduate from High school in a few weeks. Plus those friggin ACT tests.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and don't rule out the story yet. There may be a bit of a different… 'feel' for the story because I haven't updated in a while, so let me know what you think.

Actually, here's an idea. If you guys like the thought of Connor coming from an assassin guild I'll continue this story. If you guys want Connor to be a little more like an…adventurer/ avenger looking for some help so he can get revenge on his father, let me know and I'll change things around.

Once again, thank you so much for reading, like, favorite, gimme a review on how you're liking the story and I'll see you next time.

P.S: I don't know if I haven't mentioned it in the past, but I actually have a book published. It's available on , Barns and Noble or any other major book selling web site on the internet. It's title is Chris Lynheart: The Rise of Experiment 2025. Please buy a copy and help me start my writing career! It would mean a lot to me

Thank you!


End file.
